Learning Resources

K-8 Schools Invited to Apply for E-Books Access

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 11/14/16

K-8 schools that want to build their digital book collections may now apply to receive free access to one of OverDrive's e-book services. The 200-book "K-5 Quickstart Collection," which is normally priced at $499 per year per building, is being made available for free to up to 1,000 schools through a donation program.

 

OverDrive offers a free digital reading platform and works with publishers, libraries, schools and retailers to distribute digital titles. The e-books made available through the donation program require no app or downloads; they can be opened in a browser at school or at home.

Titles in the collection cover fiction and non-fiction, including Mr. Popper's Penguins, the Berenstain Bears, the Code Busters Club and the "What Is" series from Britannica Educational Publishing.

School representatives — teachers, administrators and librarians — can apply to receive access through the end of the 2016-2017 school year. The donation is open to Title 1-eligible schools in the United States.

The application form is on the OverDrive website here.